Readers sound off on the murdered dog, toxics ban, U-Haul, Robert Bobb,
and more.

Chris Thompson and others seem to be following on the notion that
Robert Bobb is somehow a great administrator and would have been best
for Oakland even though his first try brought us nothing memorable
except yet another reorganization of CEDA. Some folks around town are
breathing a sigh of relief, knowing that Dan Lindheim offers more in
the way of dedication to Oakland (and, yes, Oakland's mayor) and not
likely to flee in search of something else to do.

Robert Bobb is a personable guy and okay to talk with, but he was
often inflexible when here during the Jerry years, and instead of
moving the Army Base process along, the East Bay came away with
basically zip for the community. Ballparks and casinos were all the
rage back then, and community commonsense had to stand in line.

Maybe that was because Bobb was less interested in what staff, small
businesses, and fence-line residents wanted on the base, as opposed to
what he personally thought should be there; however, Oakland citizens
need to be able to communicate their concerns to city staff freely,
and, in turn, city employees need to be working in an environment that
allows for creativity and teamwork, not some kind of fear-laden
situation where they are constantly forced to think more about job
security and staying alive in an oppressive, top-down
administration.

If he comes back here to run for mayor, I wouldn't vote for him,
especially when we have so many Washington-related problems to contend
with: for that we need a statesman and someone who truly believes in
the people of Oakland — and is willing to shed his ego to get
things done in the most democratic means possible.

And what's the point of slighting Cynthia Dellums on the way out the
door? Not the most gentlemanly thing to do, even for a disgruntled
ex-city manager. When Maria Shriver comes to town, everyone's ecstatic
that her relationship with the Gov is such that he's trying his
darnedest to keep California at the very forefront of the green
economy. And if Michelle Obama were to waltz into town, there wouldn't
be a soul nervy enough to criticize her obviously wonderful partnership
with her hubby.

Frankly, I'm glad the mayor has someone to help take the pressure
off in a town where there's no money, jobs are scarce, resources are
dwindling, political intrigue is deadly, and everyone demands that he
or she come to this or that opening, rally, event, or pothole filling.
If she can help out by filling in here and there to satisfy some of
those demands, that's great! If she can help steer clear of some of the
traps that are constantly being set by those who wish him ill, even
better! If she wants to take on a special project à la Maria or
Michelle, fantastic!

Meanwhile, let's look forward to the channel that Team Dellums has
cleared from here to Sacramento and from there to Washington —
real funding for serious projects, brought here to the heart of the Bay
Area.

Steve Lowe, Oakland

Berkeley Parking Fiascos

U-Haul may have a point about discrimination. Just one block away
the Small Car Repair on Hearst Street routinely uses neighborhood
streets to park both its repair cars and its stock of used cars for
sale.

The Indus Foods market just south is equally oblivious to
neighborhood concerns, refusing to use a truck loading zone specially
prepared for them by a clueless Transportation Department in favor of
double-parking in the traffic lane on Hearst, completely blocking one
lane and sometimes driveways as well.

Complaints are ignored, meanwhile impatient drivers hoping to avoid
the excruciating back-up at University and San Pablo take a fast right
turn at Hearst and meet traffic displaced by the big rigs unloading to
Indus Food head-on, an obvious traffic hazard that happens several
times a week.

Quite aside from this, some of us love that ours might be the last
neighborhood with actually useful, functioning businesses, some of the
oldest in Berkeley. When people get tired of the $300 T-shirts on 4th
Street, they'll find what they actually need up on San Pablo Avenue,
including a U-Haul truck.

Carol Denney, Berkeley

"New Toxics Ban Hurts Small Businesses," Eco Watch, 1/28

Don't Punish Stay-at-Home Moms

Thank you for bringing this well-meaning-but-misapplied law to the
public's attention. As an owner of a local children's shop selling many
locally made designs, I hate that this law is forcing some of my
smaller designers to close! These are mostly stay-at-home moms trying
to earn a little extra income while raising small kids, and all are
extremely conscientious about what materials they use in their
products. I don't need a government-approved lab to tell me that.

Mae Chan Frey, Oakland

"The Case of the Murdered Dog," News, 1/28

Killed for Nothing

The swat team barged in my house and shot my dog because of false
information they had got for an informant. After shooting my dog and
destroying everything in my house, they made the dog suffer while they
filled out paper work, instead of releasing her to me or taking her to
the vet themselves. They didn't find what they were looking for in my
house, didn't have a search warrant, and had the nerve to tell me they
didn't shoot her. They won't release a copy of the police report to me
because I wasn't involved in the incident.

Sonja Davison, Oakland

Don't Let 'Em In

Just another reason to never let cops in your house without a damn
warrant. Trigger happy clowns.

Tess Martinez, Tuscon, AZ

"La Vida Taco," Feature, 2/4

Tongue in Taco

Since when is lengua never peeled? You can't chop it without peeling
it. Every taco truck chef here in Sacramento, and every one I've been
to in the Bay Area, boils/slow cooks, then peels the tongue. In fact,
after reading this, I asked the local lunch truck driver, and he looked
at me like I was crazy when I asked if he left the skin on the
tongue.

Moe Hong, Davis

"Leopold and His Fiction: Ain't No Surprise," Local Licks, 2/4

Living the Part

Nate — you nailed it on these guys in a few short words. You
may want to take the "extra step" and get to know Daniel James as he
not only "sounds the part" of vintage rockers like Morrison, Pop, and
others: he looks the part as well. He is the real deal. They/he blend
vintage rock with garage/indie better than any band in the West
Coast.

Michael J. Rastigue III, West Hills, CA

"Badminton Is Not for Sissies," Feature, 1/28

Badminton Gets a Bad Rap

It's a shame that sports like badminton and table tennis don't get
the recognition they should in the United States. These sports are very
fast-paced and require a lot of endurance, as well as quick reflexes
and strategy.

Peter Sahaidachny, Emeryville

Miscellaneous Letters

Green the Uptown

Months ago, there was a proposal for a condo tower at 19th and
Telegraph. Awaiting a redesign, we heard that the project was
postponed.

Now it seems a surface parking lot might be in the offing. Think
carefully before proceeding!

This prominent corner adjoins a shiny new park and apartments,
across from the fabulously refurbished Fox, and faces the Floral Depot
building, a nationally known art deco masterpiece.

Years ago, citizens advocated for landscaping a debris-strewn lot in
the City Center project. It was good that it did get planted, because
it took more than a decade until the next construction. It was the same
situation: a redevelopment lot in that nasty stage between demolition
and eventual new construction.

Even though a parking lot may be called temporary, it could last for
years. For example, where the new cathedral stands was a "temporary"
parking lot for forty years or more. That bare and windy corner would
have been greatly improved by a good buffer zone and some sizable
street trees.

A surface parking lot is a terrible eyesore, and contradicts the
idea of a walkable, friendly, engaging, arts-focused area. It sends a
message about cars having priority over people.

Let's use this opportunity to create a landscaped temporary public
space, or at least a very generous planted buffer zone between parked
cars and the sidewalk! Make an inviting planted link between Telegraph
Avenue and the new park to draw people into the new Uptown
neighborhood.

Optimism may be tough to muster just now, but we must not let that
stop us, when we have just completed these big successes. Let's get
creative! We can work together to enhance Oakland's new Uptown.

Naomi Schiff, president, Seventeenth Street Studios, Inc.,
Oakland

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